[tyroned]

hi, new to dslr just bought a k-7 w/ 18-555mm lens i also bought a fa50mm f1.4 but i don't know how to use it. i saw the sample pics of this lens and got interested by it. help me pls i wanna know everything about this lens and how to get pics like the 1s i saw thanx.

[Adam]

You use it just like any other lens, except that there's no zoom ring. Play around with it and see what results you get!

[SpecialK]

We are not mind readers and don't know the pix you saw:-)

However, as that lens has a large maximum aperture of 1.4, I'm guessing the shots were using that setting or close to it.

[hcc]

The FA50mm f1.4 is a fast prime. It has a large aperture (low f) allowing to shoot in darker light conditions than the kit lens without flash.

I suggest that you try the FA50mm indoor to shoot portrait for a start. The absence of flash helps to have more natural portrait shots.

[jmschrei]

I have this lens and have been using it daily since the beginning of April through the most miserable bleak month. I have found that a circular polarizer greatly improves colour rendition and I expect that a hood will also be helpful. Several hoods are available for this lens since it does not come with one and I presently have one on order from B&H. I recommend you work with the lens, shooting the same subject at varying apertures to get comfortable with the very narrow DOF possible with a lens like this and at what point you obtain a level of sharpness you like. Also I find that AF is not always very accurate with this lens so experimenting with manual focus may help too.

Finally keep in mind that a fair amount of post processing may go in to many of the images you see with any lens. Shooting in RAW if you don't already and making adjustments with the curves tool available with a variety of editing software options will greatly improve the tones and contrast in the final image.

All in all you should learn a lot with this very useful lens so don't be discouraged if your early efforts don't match what you have seen.

[KxBlaze]

Your question is definitely not an easy or short answer. Like Adam said, use it like you would your 18-55 lens except you cannot zoom. You can focus with the ring or use auto-focus, you change your aperture electronically with your camera, set the shutter speed with your camera and shoot away. That is the quickest answer I can give. Beyond that there is absolutely no better way to find out how to use that lens than to go out and practice with it. Take dozens of photos, always playing with the settings and check your results. You are bound to like a few, then just check the exif data to see what settings you used. Good luck and enjoy, it's a very good lens.

[RichardS]

Don't forget to set the aperture ring to A. This allows an e-dial on your K-7, usually the rear one, to set the aperture. Twist the ring until it gets to 22, then press the little button on the ring and one more click gets you to A.

Richard.